Instead, the young woman's studies have been sidetracked for a while. She is recovering from serious injuries suffered in a July 10 automobile accident in which a pickup truck collided with her Nisson Maxima at the intersection of McCoy and Krys roads.

Her family and friends are pleased to report that while still hospitalized at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Alayna is improving.

"Every time we see her there is improvement," said Jay Gliwa, Alayna's father, in a telephone conversation this week. "We're hoping for enough progress in the next month so that Alayna will be ready to make the move to a rehabilitation center. She has been able to talk a little bit lately but not very loud. Physically, though, she is still very weak."

But even that is good news, considering after the crash the young driver was transferred from Otsego Memorial Hospital to the neuro-trauma unit at the Hurley Medical Center in Flint, where she was listed in critical condition. Family members said Alayna had been in and out of a coma for the first two weeks following the accident. Now she is making slow-but-steady progress.

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Jay Gliwa has been surprised in the past month at his daughter's desire to become more independent, he said. "Even when she was in the intensive care unit if the doctors had a health concern and were talking about doing a procedure of some kind she would do whatever it took to not have it done. It shows you what kind of a fighter she is."

According to Jay, at a recent meeting with hospital staff, medical officials said they were looking at a tentative date of Sept. 14 to release his daughter from the medical center's rehabilitation floor and transfer her to a residential rehabilitation center for two to six months of extensive physical and cognitive therapy.

Family friend Natalie Davis re-ported Alayna is undergoing physical and cognitive therapy and will soon be starting speech therapy. She visited with Alayna and her mother, Alice, last week. "She has a long way to go but she's on her way to recovery. Both parents are optimistic and hopeful at this time."

While Alayna has been receiving physical therapy on the left side of her body, which she has little use of since the accident, Davis said, at a recent cognitive therapy session, the young woman was able to use a mouse pad to write her name and answer some simple questions on a computer. Although recovery is going to take awhile, Davis said she saw a glimmer in Alayna's eyes which made her think she was going to give it her best shot to get on the road to recovery.

"Her cognitive skills are there, those are the kind of things we are seeing and giving us hope," said Davis… "It's just going to take time."

"Alice is down there during the week with Alayna, and on weekends, Alayna's father, Jay, is down there. It's been real hard on both of them; especially with Alayna being so far from home."

Davis, whose husband, Blake, is post commander at Gaylord, said the families have been friends for several years. Jay Gliwa, who has been post commander of the Michigan State Police (MSP) in Kalkaska since 1997, had served as assistant post commander in Gaylord prior to his Kalkaska assignment. The Gliwas still make their home in Gaylord, where they have lived since 1995.

The family has been touched by the community support they have received since the accident. "The support from the community has been great since day one," said Jay. "It makes you feel good," he said, unable to say enough about the great job the Otsego County EMS/Rescue did responding to the accident. "I can't begin to thank all of the people here in Gaylord who have been there for us. We didn't have to worry about what was going on at home those first few weeks; there was always someone there to help out.

"That's one of the great things about living in northern Michigan," he continued. "Everyone cares about each other. Look at the tragedy in Johannesburg for example; everyone pulled together to help out. It seems people just do what needs to be done here."